Soviet Soldier Unmasks Hitler
Introduction In 1941, this poster was created by the Kukryniksy collective in response to Germany’s invasion of Russia. (Limited, Alamy). The Kukryniksy created this poster to help evoke feelings of pride and confidence in the Soviet army during World War II. The Kukryniksy’s poster, “We Will Ruthlessly Defeat and Destroy the Enemy,” clearly identifies Hitler as an enemy of the state and as someone who will be defeated during the war.
Context
In August of 1939, the Soviet Union and Germany signed the German-Soviet Pact. The
German-Soviet Pact is also commonly known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Nazi-Soviet Pact, and the Hitler-Stalin Pact. The pact was a diplomatic arrangement between Germany and the Soviet Union. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The German-Soviet Pact consisted of two parts: an economic agreement and a ten-year non aggression pact. The economic agreement was signed on August 19, 1939. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The economic agreement stated that Germany would exchange manufactured goods for the Soviet Union’s raw materials. The ten-year non aggression pact was signed on August 23, 1939. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The non aggression pact stated that both countries promised not to attack the other.
The German-Soviet Pact was created so that Hitler could avoid the threat of a major two-front war. The pact was supposed to prevent Hitler from invading the Soviet Union and to prevent the Soviet Union from going to war against Germany. However, the German-Soviet Pact backfired by enabling Germany to attack Poland on September 1, 1939, without the fear of Soviet intervention. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). On September 3, 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II.
On December 18, 1940, Hitler signed the Directive 21. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The Directive 21, also known as Operation Barbarossa, was the first official order for the invasion of the Soviet Union. Less than two years after the German-Soviet Pact was signed, Hitler broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).
After the invasion of Russiain 1941, the “We Will Ruthlessly Defeat and Destroy the Enemy!” poster was created by a group called the Kukryniksy. The artists Porfirii Nikitich Krylov, Mikhail Vasil’evich Kupriianov, and Nikolai Aleksandrovich Sokolov, began the Kukryniksy collective in 1924. (“The Art Institute of Chicago.”). The Kukryniksy collective beame famouse both before and during the war for their cariactures of Hitler, Mussolini, and other Nazi and Fascist leaders.
Text
In the “We Will Ruthlessly Defeat and Destroy the Enemy!” propaganda poster, there is a Soviet soldier pointing a big gun downwards toward who is presumably Hitler. In the “We Will Ruthlessly Defeat and Destroy the Enemy!” poster, the soldier is completely red while Hitler is completely black.
In the “We Will Ruthlessly Defeat and Destroy the Enemy!” poster, Hitler appears to be weak and sort of cowardly. He appears to be cowering down before the red Soviet soldier. Hitler is holding a short gun in one hand while the other hand is sort of outstretched towards the
soldier. Hitler’s hand is very thin and it is stretchin out, but his hand appears to be very claw-like with how it is curled up. Hitler’s ears and nose also appear very pointy, while his chin sort of sticks out. Hitler also looks like he is being devious because he is sort of hidden behind the document and there is a mask in the bottom left corner of the poster. The smiling and friendly mask looks like it has been ripped off of Hitler’s face. Behind the friendly mask, Hitler is seen holding a gun. The poster seems to be portraying the message that Hitler was caught. The Soviet Union has ripped off Hitler’s false face and seen who he truly is. The torn document that Hitler is protruding from and the Hitler’s discarded mask represent the German-Societ Pact that was violated when the Nazis invaded Russia on June 22, 1941.
Analysis
In the “We Will Ruthlessly Defeat and Destroy the Enemy!” poster, Hitler is portrayed as being two-faced. One face is friendly and nonaggressive, but the other face is plotting to invade Russia and is holding a gun. In Jay Heinrichs’s “Thank You For Arguing,” he says that when crafting a message, do not focus on what could persuade you, but what could persuade your audience. (HEINRICHS, JAY). In the “We Will Ruthlessly Defeat and Destroy the Enemy!” poster, the audience is being persuaded that Hitler is not a friend. The poster is persuading the people of Russia that Hitler is the enemy and that he will be conquered. I think the audience is supposed to gain a feeling of confidence in the Soviet army from the poster. In the poster, a Soviet soldier has a gun to Hitler’s head while calling him the enemy. The poster is supposed to persuade the audience that the Soviet Union is strong and will prevail.
Heinrichs’s book also says that if you are going to use fear or anger, clearly identify your enemy. (HEINRICHS, JAY). I think this tactic is used rather effectively in the “We Will Ruthlessly Defeat and Destroy the Enemy!” poster, because it clearly identifies Hitler as the enemy. The poster even says “We will ruthlessly defeat and destroy the enemy!” Hitler is clearly made out to be the bad guy in the poster. He is portrayed as someone that is a threat to the Soviet Union, and as someone that will be destroyed.
Overall, I think that the “We will ruthlessly defeat and destroy the enemy!” poster, created by the Kukryniksy, was very successful in getting its message across and being a propaganda tool for the Soviet Union. The poster uses more than one persuasive tactic to its advantage to broadcast its message and to manipulate the public's opinion. The poster makes the Soviet Union appear strong and brave, while the enemy, Hitler, is portrayed as weak and cowardly.
Works Cited:
HEINRICHS, JAY. THANK YOU FOR ARGUING: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson
Can Teach Us about the Art of... Persuasion. S.l.: BROADWAY BOOKS, 2020.
Limited, Alamy. “Stock Photo - USSR. One of the Soviet Propaganda Posters with a Slogan:
‘Lets Ruthlessly Beat and Destroy the Enemy! We Will Relentlessly Smash and Crush
the Enemy!" Created by The.” Alamy. Accessed
March 26, 2020. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-ussr-one-of-the-soviet-
propaganda-posters-with-a-slogan-le ts-ruthlessly-80597570.html.
“Slave to the Game.” Russian WWII Propaganda Posters. Accessed
March 26, 2020. http://www.allworldwars.com/Russian WWII Propaganda Posters.html.
“The Art Institute of Chicago.” Kukryniksy | The Art Institute of Chicago.
Accessed March 26, 2020. https://archive.artic.edu/tass/kukryniksy/.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum.Accessed March 26, 2020. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/
article/german-soviet-pact.
Copy of “We Will Ruthlessly Defeat and Destroy the Enemy!”
“Slave to the Game.” Russian WWII Propaganda Posters. Accessed March 26, 2020. http://www.allworldwars.com/Russian WWII Propaganda Posters.html.
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